Unfortunately the entire city is designed for cars, not people, so the downtown reflects that. Bad urbanism and a lack of future vision results in a place you drive through rather than go to like any other suburb. Live in Oshawa, go to Toronto, etc. The consumption issues that you saw are a reflection of the hopelessness of some struggling to cope with the hard times. The Generals are a bright light over all the strip malls dotting its presence. The good news here is that the waterfront area south of the city is slowly being revitalized with park space and is in a much better place should you ever decide to go through the area in the future.
Unfortunately the entire city is designed for cars, not people, so the downtown reflects that. Bad urbanism and a lack of future vision results in a place you drive through rather than go to like any other suburb. Live in Oshawa, go to Toronto, etc. The consumption issues that you saw are a reflection of the hopelessness of some struggling to cope with the hard times. The Generals are a bright light over all the strip malls dotting its presence. The good news here is that the waterfront area south of the city is slowly being revitalized with park space and is in a much better place should you ever decide to go through the area in the future.
Definitely planning to visit the outer reaches of the city once the weather improves!